Approved Herbicide Under Fire

The herbicide 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, commonly known as 2,4-D, is being attacked by an environmental group that deems it unsafe — and apparently EPA is listening.

According to an article on www.billingsgazette.com, an online news source for Montana and Wyoming, EPA is considering rescinding approval of the weed control product, which is one of the top three used in the U.S. It was just a little more than a year-and-a-half ago that EPA said — after years of research — 2,4-D is considered safe for use.

The environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), however, says the herbicide disrupts estrogen and progesterone in humans, among other things. It’s an ingredient in 1,500 items and has been on the market for about 60 years. When used properly, EPA has no issues with 2,4-D.

According to the article, toxicologists for Western Integrated Pest Management Center, an organization that handles weed research for Montana and five western states, say the consensus is there’s no new information that should force EPA to rescind its approval.

Farm groups have said there isn’t a cost-effective replacement for the herbicide. Agricultural officials at NRDC, however, say no-till farming, pulling weeds, and products such as glyphosate or Roundup will work as a substitute.

7 comments on “Approved Herbicide Under Fire”

These whackjobs should be the ones to pull the weeds, heck, let’s even pay them twice as much as the chemical costs us now, then they can spray glyphosate when they realize they can’t keep up with the task. Then finally they should be charged in making and living off the bread that is made from the grain that won’t even be there when you use glyphosate instead of 24D at the time you should, to save the yield. It truly is sad how this absence of education and understanding can have such a strong voice. It’s the new reality that everyone needs a cause, no matter how uninformed it may be. Sometimes I wish Lewis Black the comedian was involved in agriculture at some level. He could really put into perspective the types of challenges we face and I would truly enjoy his take on these people and the ideologies they posess to attack our business of feeding the world safely and effectively. He has little patience for the uneducated.

It is very misleading to say “and apparently EPA is listening.” Many readers will think that means there is an serious and imminent threat to 2,4-D. In fact, EPA will consider the NRDC petition like any other submitted document and will respond when its deliberations are completed. The review published in 2005 indicates that the 2,4-D database is larger and more complete than ever. There is no basis to say that something ominous is about to occur.

These “NUTS’ that call themselves environmentalist will wake up some day when they go into a grocery store and there is no food on the shelves. I am 81 years of age and brought my first 2,4D in 1948. I still use it because it is cheap and will do th “JOB”. My Doctor tells me I am healthy. I used some 2,4D last week and will continue to use it as long as it is available. The E.P.A. should get some advise from persons that are using the product and not from a bunch of screwballs.

These same nuts are pushing organic food down every consumer’s throat. They have no common since. If their actions should happen to run a few farmers out of business and increase the cost of food by 40-50% these people could not care less, they have the money and the means to continue to feed them selves. The ones that truly will end up paying for this lack of thought applied to this issue is the working man who is trying to provide for his family and is just getting by from month to month. Strange how the fools who make the regulations are never the ones who pay the price in the end.

To even suggest that a glyphosate can replace 2,4D in a cropping situation is absurd, as anyone in farming can tell you. When used as labeled, both have an important and safe place in ag, but substituting a ‘non-selective herbicide’ in place of a ‘broadleaf herbicide’ will not achieve the same results. In addition to ag, 2,4D is an just about any lawn care application, maybe too much so. But replace 2,4D with a glyphosate in that situation and you will find out very quickly how different the two chemistries are.

Someone needs to do more research on herbicides, as using glyphosate in place of 2,4D on crops virtually ensures crop loss unless sprayed on “Roundup Ready” crops which are also under attack from enviromentalists. Not to mention the added cost of this seed, and if the seed is not taken off the market due to lawsuits like alfalfa and sugarbeets were.